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	<title>The Narwhal | News on Climate Change, Environmental Issues in Canada</title>
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		<title>The Narwhal | News on Climate Change, Environmental Issues in Canada</title>
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      <title>Pipelines or Indigenous Rights? Premier Notley Can&#8217;t Have Both</title>
      <link>https://thenarwhal.ca/pipelines-indigenous-rights-premier-notley-cant-have-both/?utm_source=rss</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost.com/narwhal/2016/04/13/pipelines-indigenous-rights-premier-notley-cant-have-both/</guid>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2016 20:01:36 +0000</pubDate>			
			<description><![CDATA[The speech Alberta Premier Rachel Notley gave to over 1,000 federal NDP delegates on Saturday in Edmonton&#8217;s Shaw Convention Centre was a stunning thing to behold. In a mere half-hour, she received around a dozen standing ovations, cracked a pretty solid joke about Donald Trump and delivered a unabashed appeal for the approval and construction...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="826" height="395" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Rachel-Notley-Energy-East.jpg" class="attachment-banner size-banner wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Rachel-Notley-Energy-East.jpg 826w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Rachel-Notley-Energy-East-760x363.jpg 760w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Rachel-Notley-Energy-East-450x215.jpg 450w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Rachel-Notley-Energy-East-20x10.jpg 20w" sizes="(max-width: 826px) 100vw, 826px" /><figcaption><small><em></em></small></figcaption><hr></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86PDfL_fhc0" rel="noopener">speech</a> Alberta Premier Rachel Notley gave to over 1,000 federal NDP delegates on Saturday in Edmonton&rsquo;s Shaw Convention Centre was a stunning thing to behold.<p>	In a mere half-hour, she received around a dozen standing ovations, cracked a pretty solid joke about Donald Trump and delivered a unabashed appeal for the approval and construction of pipelines &ldquo;that are built by Canadians, using Canadian steel.&rdquo;</p><p>	But even more stunning was the fact that she completely failed to mention the rights or interests of First Nations, M&eacute;tis and Inuit people.</p><p><!--break--></p><h2>
	Oil and Gas Industry Currently Critical to Alberta Economy</h2><p>The Alberta government clearly has a reason for wanting to facilitate the export of more oil and gas via the proposed TransCanada Energy East and Kinder Morgan Trans-Mountain pipelines.</p><p>In 2014, energy products accounted for <a href="http://www.albertacanada.com/business/overview/economic-results.aspx" rel="noopener">one-quarter of the province&rsquo;s GDP</a> and <a href="http://www.albertacanada.com/Albertas-Export-Performance-2014.pdf" rel="noopener">three-quarters of its exports</a>. The global oil price has since plummeted by two-thirds, resulting in a projected provincial deficit of <a href="http://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/how-to-fix-albertas-10-billion-budget-hole/" rel="noopener">over $10 billion</a>.</p><p>Notley emphasized in her speech that &ldquo;hundreds of thousands of Canadians work in resource industries &mdash; here and across Canada&rdquo; and &ldquo;we need to be able to get the best possible world price for the oil we produce here&rdquo; via &ldquo;pipelines to tidewater that allows us to diversify our markets and upgrade our products.&rdquo;</p><h2>
	Alberta NDP Pledged to Implement UNDRIP, &ldquo;Ensure Respectful Consultation&rdquo;</h2><p>Those are very nice ideas, supported by many political pundits and Alberta NDP supporters.</p><p>But unfortunately for such boosters, the NDP <a href="http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/themes/5538f80701925b5033000001/attachments/original/1431112969/Alberta_NDP_Platform_2015.pdf?1431112969#page=20" rel="noopener">committed in its election platform</a> to implementing the <a href="http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf" rel="noopener">United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a> (UNDRIP) and to &ldquo;work with Alberta Indigenous Peoples to build a relationship of trust and ensure respectful consultation.&rdquo;</p><p>Article 32 of the declaration states that &ldquo;Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for the development or use of their lands or territories.&rdquo; </p><p>And <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/IPeoples/FreePriorandInformedConsent.pdf" rel="noopener">free, prior and informed consent</a> (FPIC) underpins much of the document, requiring that Indigenous peoples are consulted with in a way that ensures a process free of manipulation, conducted well in advance and with plenty of information provided.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/ErielTD" rel="noopener">Eriel Deranger</a>, communications manager of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) suggests the NDP&rsquo;s push for the development of pipelines and oil and gas resources simply doesn&rsquo;t respect the principle of free, prior and informed consent.</p><p>&ldquo;Where&rsquo;s the consent?&rdquo; asks Deranger. &ldquo;If communities want to say &lsquo;no,&rsquo; then we&rsquo;re talking about a government that&rsquo;s willing to respect communities&rsquo; right to say &lsquo;no&rsquo; and to uphold that right,&rdquo; she says.</p><h2>
	Many First Nations Oppose Energy East and Trans Mountain Expansion</h2><p>Many First Nations and other Indigenous groups have voiced opposition to Energy East and the Trans Mountain expansion (the two projects considered most likely to be approved and constructed).</p><p>The <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-first-nations-protest-kinder-morgan-pipeline-1.2054039" rel="noopener">Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam nations</a> and <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/chief-stewart-phillip-arrested-at-kinder-morgan-protest-1.2852468" rel="noopener">Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs</a> are explicitly opposed to Trans Mountain, while the <a href="http://canadians.org/blog/iroquois-caucus-quebec-ontario-oppose-energy-east-pipeline" rel="noopener">entire Iroquois caucus</a>, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/energy-east-wolastoq-pipeline-1.3438535" rel="noopener">Wolastoq Grand Council</a> and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSnMKWvgx27a+1c0+MKW20150930" rel="noopener">Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs</a> have united in resistance to Energy East.</p><p>A letter sent by Mohawk Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Simon to Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard in early March stated: &ldquo;The Mohawk Council of Kanesatake as well as the rest of the Iroquois caucus has made its choice. Other First Nations are making the same choice.&rdquo;</p><p>Mike Hudema, climate energy campaigner at Greenpeace Canada, says: &ldquo;Not only have First Nations not given their consent but they have said very strongly that they don&rsquo;t want these pipelines going through their traditional territory.&rdquo;</p><h2>
	Federal Government Positioning to Implement Pipeline Strategy</h2><p>On Monday, the National Post&rsquo;s John Ivison <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/john-ivison-trudeau-convinced-that-pipeline-strategy-must-be-top-priority" rel="noopener">reported</a> (while vaguely citing &ldquo;people with knowledge of the matter&rdquo;) that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has instructed cabinet ministers to prepare a pipeline strategy to &ldquo;make Energy East and Trans Mountain expansion in British Columbia a reality.&rdquo;</p><p>The federal government has also pledged to <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/2015/11/17/canada-s-implementation-un-declaration-indigenous-rights-raises-questions-about-oilsands-resource-extraction">implement UNDRIP</a>, as well as <a href="http://www.nationalobserver.com/2015/12/15/news/trudeau-promises-immediate-action-final-trc-report" rel="noopener">all 94 calls to action contained in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission</a>.</p><p>The TRC also emphasizes the concept of free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples &ldquo;before proceeding with economic development projects&rdquo; and the requirement of &ldquo;recognition and integration of Indigenous laws and legal traditions in negotiation and implementation processes involving Treaties, land claims, and other constructive agreements.&rdquo; </p><h2>
	Many First Nations Desire Co-management of Resource Development</h2><p>Deranger emphasizes that First Nations communities are not anti-development: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s this really, really antiquated notion that if you give First Nations the right to say &lsquo;no&rsquo; we&rsquo;re going to end up back in teepees and sending smoke signals or something really ridiculous,&rdquo; she jokes. </p><p>Rather, she says First Nations are asking for co-management of resource development, something that has been done in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Northern Quebec and Manitoba (ACFN has been petitioning for a similar arrangement for 20 years). </p><p>&ldquo;Co-management is not asking for everything,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s asking to be partners. Our ancestors signed our treaty agreements believing that we were signing nation-to-nation agreements, to be given equal say in the development of our lands and territories.&rdquo;</p><p>There has been no public indication that such conversations are on the radar of the provincial or federal government. </p><h2>
	Alberta&rsquo;s Push for Pipelines &ldquo;Flies in the Face of These Commitments&rdquo;</h2><p>After all, truly engaging with documents like UNDRIP and the TRC would require a complete overhaul of how development is conducted, could potentially pose a threat to corporate profits and prove difficult to explain to voters.</p><p>But the Alberta NDP perhaps shouldn&rsquo;t have promised to implement such policies if it just wanted to continue rapid oilsands development in Treaty 8 territory and ram pipelines through other sovereign territories without ensuring free, prior and informed consent beforehand.</p><p>&ldquo;I do think the Alberta government pushing so hard for pipelines really flies in the face of these commitments,&rdquo; Hudema says. &ldquo;A lot of First Nations communities are looking to see how the government deals with this situation to know how serious the government really is to its commitments to First Nations people.&rdquo;</p><p><em>Image: Premier Rachel Notley holds a sign in support of the Energy East pipeline. Photo: Premier of Alberta/<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/premierofalberta/25354636400/" rel="noopener">Flickr</a>.</em></p>
	&nbsp;</p>
<p><em><strong>The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/newsletter/?utm_source=rss">signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism</a>.</strong></em></p>]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[James Wilt]]></dc:creator>
			<category domain="post_cat"><![CDATA[In-Depth]]></category>			<category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[ACFN]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Energy East pipeline]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Eriel Deranger]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[first nations]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[First Nations Rights]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[free prior informed consent]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[In-Depth]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Indigenous]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Inuit]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Metis]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Mike Hudema]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[oilsands]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Rachel Notley]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[resource extraction]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[rights of indigenous peoples]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[tar sands]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[UNDRIP]]></category>    </item>
	    <item>
      <title>Syncrude Sustainable Development Award Decried as &#8220;Misleading&#8221;</title>
      <link>https://thenarwhal.ca/syncrude-sustainable-development-award-decried-misleading/?utm_source=rss</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost.com/narwhal/2014/05/19/syncrude-sustainable-development-award-decried-misleading/</guid>
			<pubDate>Mon, 19 May 2014 21:45:31 +0000</pubDate>			
			<description><![CDATA[Critics cried foul last week after oilsands giant Syncrude was&#160;awarded the inaugural Towards Sustainable Mining Environmental Excellence Award at the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) industry gala held in Vancouver on Monday, May 12. The Fort McMurray-based company was recognized for its work in land reclamation, the attempt to re-establish ecosystems destroyed...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="420" height="280" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gateway-Hill-420.jpg" class="attachment-banner size-banner wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gateway-Hill-420.jpg 420w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gateway-Hill-420-300x200.jpg 300w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gateway-Hill-420-20x13.jpg 20w" sizes="(max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px" /><figcaption><small><em></em></small></figcaption><hr></figure><p>Critics cried foul last week after oilsands giant Syncrude was&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1354459/tsm-award-winners-for-environmental-excellence-and-community-engagement-announced" rel="noopener">awarded</a> the inaugural Towards Sustainable Mining Environmental Excellence Award at the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) industry gala held in Vancouver on Monday, May 12.<p>The Fort McMurray-based company was <a href="http://www.miningweekly.com/article/syncrude-canada-and-iamgold-recognised-for-sustainable-mining-2014-05-13" rel="noopener">recognized</a> for its work in land reclamation, the attempt to re-establish ecosystems destroyed during oilsands development.</p><p>The company was specifically lauded for its work with fen wetlands, a sensitive and complex peat ecosystem that is a key part of the Boreal Forest and the local watershed, through its <a href="http://www.syncrude.ca/users/folder.asp?FolderID=8102" rel="noopener">Sandhill Fen Research Watershed Initiative</a> research project.</p><p>&ldquo;We're quite pleased to have been selected. We see it as a demonstration of our commitment to improving our reclamation process,&rdquo; said company spokesperson Will Gibson by phone. &ldquo;It underscores our need to meet the public's expectations, and part of that is constant improvement.&rdquo;</p><p>But, for some, labelling any work done in the oilsands as 'sustainable' may be premature, if not entirely contradictory.&nbsp;</p><p><!--break--></p><p><strong>An 'industry award'</strong></p><p>&ldquo;It's industry giving awards to industry,&rdquo; said Carolyn Campbell of the <a href="http://albertawilderness.ca/" rel="noopener">Alberta Wilderness Association</a>, a conservation group working to conserve ecosystems and wilderness in the province. &ldquo;It's misleading to say they are taking a significant approach to sustainable mining. Tar sands mining is inherently unsustainable. The push for fossil fuel development is destroying the boreal wetlands.&rdquo;</p><p>For Campbell, attempts to bring back ecosystems that have been under pressure from mining for decades is too little too late. &ldquo;This needed to be considered 40 years ago,&rdquo; when the first oilsands developments began, said Campbell.</p><p>Most people may have heard of peatlands &ndash; Canada is the world's largest producer of peat moss for horticultural purposes &ndash; but few know about the importance, and uniqueness, of fens. While similar to peat bogs, fens are distinguished by a high water table and a slow, regular flow of water which makes them much more rich in minerals and much less acidic than bogs.</p><p>Fens support a specific set of vegetation and animal life and, because of these unique characteristics, are considered much more difficult to reproduce than other peatlands &ndash; which already present an enormous ecological challenge. Fens are an integral part of the northern Boreal ecosystem, which itself is tied to the health of Canada's important watersheds, like the adjacent Athabasca and Peace River watersheds. While fens are a small part of the entire Boreal forest, their loss has a significant impact on the surrounding ecosystem.</p><p>Their importance isn't lost on Gibson, who stressed in the interview that Syncrude is committed to monitoring their 52 hectare test site for the next 10 to 20 years in order to better understand and replace the fens that have been removed during oilsands development.</p><p>Gibson strongly rejects the ideas that Syncrude's reclamation work is simply window dressing. &ldquo;Over half of our [research and development] spending goes into reclamation projects,&rdquo; he said, adding, &ldquo;would people prefer we do nothing?&rdquo;</p><p><strong>Reclamation cannot offset conservation</strong></p><p>&ldquo;Of course, they shouldn't be doing nothing,&rdquo; Eriel Deranger told DeSmog Canada in a telephone interview. Deranger is a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), located over 200km northeast of Fort McMurry and directly downstream from the centre of oilsands development. Her traditional territory lies in the Athabasca watershed and has been significantly affected by industrial development to the south.&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;Reclamation work needs to be done. But it can't be used to justify the further expansion of the tar sands,&rdquo; Deranger said. She is also a spokesperson for the annual Healing Walk, which brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to visit the oilsands region and discuss industry's impacts.</p><p>For Deranger, the question isn't only about whether the fens can eventually be brought back, but the immediate and ongoing impacts that are justified through what is branded as 'sustainable development' of the oilsands.</p><p>The destruction of key parts of the northern Boreal ecosystem has a direct impact on the ACFN's and other First Nations' access to their traditional territory and to their way of life.</p><p>&ldquo;The real issue,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;is that these projects are going to be erasing these ecosystems for 50 to 100 years. That also means the loss of our treaty rights for 50 to 100 years.&rdquo; And while it's clear that there have been advances in reclamation techniques, she said, the pace of development in the oilsands has greatly outrun any improvements.</p><p><strong>The uncertain science&nbsp;</strong></p><p>Recent scientific reports have presented mixed results about the potential for reclamation. A 2013 study from the Universit&eacute; de Laval's Peatland Ecology Research Group <a href="http://www.gret-perg.ulaval.ca/uploads/tx_centrerecherche/Pouliot_etal_2013_Env_ExpBotany_01.pdf" rel="noopener">found that</a> the various mosses found in peat fens were able to withstand water with higher salt contents &ndash; similar to what they would be exposed to in reclamation areas &ndash; at a higher degree than expected, which researchers felt showed a strong indication that fens could be re-introduced post-mining.</p><p>At the same time, they highlighted that the study was done in limited laboratory settings, and that the complexities of a natural environment would complicate the re-establishment process.</p><p>Even if fens can be re-introduced, another peer-reviewed report questioned whether reclamation efforts could ever truly re-create or undo the damage of the original fens in the first place.</p><p>In a 2012 paper, researchers Rebecca C. Rooney, Suzanne E. Bayley, and David W. Schindler from the University of Alberta <a href="http://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildwater/archive/2012-03-11-peatlands-destruction-by-tar-sands-mines-is-permanent-scientists/at_download/file" rel="noopener">concluded</a> that regardless of the ability to re-establish fens, the destruction of peatlands &ndash; which store a large amount of carbon in the ground, acting as a massive natural carbon sink &ndash; would result in the release of seven years worth of mining and upgrading emissions at 2010 production levels into the atmosphere.</p><p>They also noted the difficulty of recreating the water flow necessary for fens will mean that any eventual reclamation results would cover 65 per cent less territory than fens covered pre-mining.</p><p>Of the total area currently mined for oilsands, only 0.12 per cent of the land <a href="http://www.oilsands.alberta.ca/FactSheets/Reclamation_FSht_Sep_2013_Online.pdf" rel="noopener">has been certified reclaimed</a>, with some seven percent currently in progress of being reclaimed. The only certified reclaimed site is Sycrude's Gatweay Hill, which received the official reclamation distinction from Alberta Environment in 2008.</p><p>While the site has been <a href="http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/reclaiming-albertas-oil-sands-mines" rel="noopener">vaunted</a> as an industry success, Deranger sees it as a disturbing precursor to reclamation projects as the future for her people's territory. Gateway Hill, she said, is a clear sign that industry-styled reclamation projects cannot be used as an offset for protecting untouched land.</p><p>&ldquo;I see fenced-in areas that have no relevance or value to First Nations people. They're fenced-in regions that they tout as a conservation zone,&rdquo; she said.</p><p>"These areas were once areas that housed wild buffalo, that hunters and trappers utilized, that fishers utilized, that we considered sacred sites. And we're talking about creating a big sign that says, 'Look at the successes of this industry!' Why don't we juxtaposition it with, 'Look at what industry has destroyed.' Frankly, it's a little bit absurd and insulting."</p><p><em>Image Credit: Syncrude's Gateway Hill from <a href="http://www.capp.ca/canadaIndustry/oilSands/Innovation/media/Pages/Steve.aspx" rel="noopener">CAPP</a></em></p></p>
<p><em><strong>The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/newsletter/?utm_source=rss">signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism</a>.</strong></em></p>]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Tim McSorley]]></dc:creator>
						<category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Alberta Wilderness Association]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Eriel Deranger]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[habitat]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[mining]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[oilsands]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Reclamation]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[sustainable development]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Syncrude]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[tar sands]]></category>    </item>
	    <item>
      <title>PowerShift Youth Climate Conference to Come to BC</title>
      <link>https://thenarwhal.ca/powershift-youth-climate-conference-come-bc/?utm_source=rss</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost.com/narwhal/2013/09/20/powershift-youth-climate-conference-come-bc/</guid>
			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2013 19:44:35 +0000</pubDate>			
			<description><![CDATA[In a move that epitomizes the principle of thinking globally and acting locally, national youth climate conference PowerShift has gone local. Rather than one large national event, the conference has been split into smaller, regional events. The first will be in Victoria, BC on October 4. &#8220;We&#8217;ve held two national ones before, and while they...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="500" height="333" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Powershift-2012.jpg" class="attachment-banner size-banner wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Powershift-2012.jpg 500w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Powershift-2012-300x200.jpg 300w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Powershift-2012-450x300.jpg 450w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Powershift-2012-20x13.jpg 20w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /><figcaption><small><em></em></small></figcaption><hr></figure><p>In a move that epitomizes the principle of thinking globally and acting locally, national youth climate conference <a href="http://www.wearepowershift.ca/" rel="noopener">PowerShift</a> has gone local. Rather than one large national event, the conference has been split into smaller, regional events. The first will be in Victoria, BC on October 4.<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve held two national ones before, and while they were amazing, what we realized is we were missing the mark on really being able to connect with movements locally that were leading the edge in fighting the fossil fuel industry,&rdquo; said Cam Fenton, director of convening organization Canadian Youth Climate Coalition. Last year&rsquo;s PowerShift was held in Ottawa shortly after the <a href="http://rabble.ca/news/2012/10/labour-environmentalists-and-first-nations-diametrically-opposed-tankers-and-pipelines" rel="noopener">Defend Our Coast</a> rally at the Victoria legislature that drew thousands, and Fenton said the conference in Ontario failed to tap into the energy that was building on the west coast.</p><p><!--break--></p><p>PowerShift is a series of youth-driven speakers, panels and workshops designed to give young people the skills and tools they need to organize for climate justice. Big-name speakers include David Suzuki and Council of Canadians national chairperson Maude Barlow, in addition to numerous young people from frontline communities all over Canada.</p><p><img alt="" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/files/Cameron%20Fenton%20Powershift.jpg"></p><p>The decision to host the first regional event in BC was twofold. First, as a province that was once a leader in sustainable energy development and is now embracing LNG and tar sands development, BC has become a battleground. The fight to stop Enbridge&rsquo;s Northern Gateway Pipeline has galvanized activists and ordinary British Columbians alike.</p><p>The second reason has more to do with logistics. Fenton said the largest number of youth who were unable to attend last year due to the cost of getting to Ottawa were in BC, so it seemed like a great place to start.</p><p>He said there has also been a shift in the direction of the fight against fossil fuels. Rather than focusing on governmental policy change like their forbears, young climate activists are creating grassroots movements though community-based organizing and action.</p><p>&ldquo;We wanted to transform PowerShift into something that would reflect that, and rapidly build our power as young people and as a climate movement in general.&rdquo;</p><p>The concept of movement building is key for Fenton, and bringing together the voices of people working across the country will be crucial going forward.</p><p>&ldquo;In the past, it hasn&rsquo;t felt like we&rsquo;ve really had a movement to stand behind our champions, and I think we&rsquo;re starting to see it and see these movements grow to be the force that we need and the people power we need.&rdquo;</p><p>He used opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline as an example of a group of people large enough to guide and support politicians to stand up for the climate justice.</p><p>&ldquo;There is a movement that will actually stand behind them when they do the right things, and also hold them accountable if they do the wrong thing.&rdquo;</p><p>Fenton said one of CYCC&rsquo;s biggest concerns right now is divestment from the oil and gas sector, drawing on support from university groups and other major institutions. He&rsquo;s hoping to spark a major player to take a stand.</p><p>&ldquo;In order to have this conversation more publicly, some folks and some institutions with a more significant profile need to step up.&rdquo;</p><p>Eriel Deranger, environmental activist and member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, will be bringing the story of her nation&rsquo;s fight against extreme energy <img alt="" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/files/Eriel%20Deranger.png">development on their traditional territory, with the hope of raising awareness about the scope and pace of tar sands development. She said part of the process of bringing national concerns to a regional level is highlighting the increasingly strong role First Nations are playing in defending the land and the water.</p><p>&ldquo;I think just getting more people to have their eye on the expansion and approval of expansion on the Alberta tar sands is one of my main goals. The more eyes that are watching, the more the government will be careful.&rdquo;</p><p>In the past, she said, approval for new projects was simply rubber-stamped and pushed through. But change is starting to happen, and Deranger said her ultimate goal is to maintain that kind of pressure not only on the government but also on the industry itself.</p><p>&ldquo;We saw it with the <a href="http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/document-eng.cfm?document=90874" rel="noopener">Jack Pine Mine hearings</a>. They actually put conditions on the approval and there was a strong public lens on it, which I think changes the way these projects are approved.&rdquo;</p><p>Crystal Lameman, one of the keynote speakers, is member of the Beaver Lake Cree First Nation and does most of her work in her traditional territory, fighting tar sands development on the ground and through legal frameworks. She hopes to leave youth with the message that, no matter which road they&rsquo;ve come in on, they have something important to give.<img alt="" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/files/Crystal%20Lameman%20powershift.jpg"></p><p>&ldquo;Before our feet touch the floor in the morning, we&rsquo;re all human beings first and foremost,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;This issue that we&rsquo;re faced with now on the environmental front, this issue is no longer an Indian problem. If you drink water, if you breathe air, this is about you and you need to be involved.&rdquo;</p><p>She has no doubt grassroots organizing is the most powerful force for change right now. But she also acknowledges the foundation of policy work and legal struggles that underlie it.</p><p>&ldquo;They created tools for change that the grassroots people are now taking up and using,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;They were just as important in this movement.&rdquo; In addition to sharing the stage with David Suzuki next Friday, Lameman will be speaking on a panel about legal issues.&nbsp; She said she&rsquo;s also looking forward to bringing her two children to meet the PowerShift organizers and attendees.</p><p>&ldquo;These youth have every intention of creating a sustainable and safe future for my children.&rdquo;</p><p><em>Image Credit: Image courtesy of PowerShitCAN via Flickr</em></p></p>
<p><em><strong>The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/newsletter/?utm_source=rss">signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism</a>.</strong></em></p>]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Erin Flegg]]></dc:creator>
						<category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Beaver Lake Cree First Nation]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Cameron Fenton]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Canadian Youth Climate Coalition]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Climate]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Crystal Lameman]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Eriel Deranger]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[PowerShift]]></category>    </item>
	    <item>
      <title>Alberta Auditor General Agrees to Conduct Pipeline Safety Audit</title>
      <link>https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-auditor-general-agrees-probe-pipeline-safety/?utm_source=rss</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost.com/narwhal/2013/09/13/alberta-auditor-general-agrees-probe-pipeline-safety/</guid>
			<pubDate>Fri, 13 Sep 2013 16:41:17 +0000</pubDate>			
			<description><![CDATA[Provincial auditor general Merwan Saher has agreed to conduct an audit of oil pipeline safety in Alberta, responding to requests from a coalition of 54 public interest groups dissatisfied with the provincial government&#39;s third-party report released in August. &#34;We will be auditing the government&#39;s monitoring systems to ensure compliance with Alberta&#39;s pipeline regulations. Our audit...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="500" height="375" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/6792697540_a8d6ec9f00.jpg" class="attachment-banner size-banner wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/6792697540_a8d6ec9f00.jpg 500w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/6792697540_a8d6ec9f00-300x225.jpg 300w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/6792697540_a8d6ec9f00-450x338.jpg 450w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/6792697540_a8d6ec9f00-20x15.jpg 20w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /><figcaption><small><em></em></small></figcaption><hr></figure><p>Provincial auditor general Merwan Saher has agreed to conduct an audit of oil pipeline safety in Alberta, responding to requests from a coalition of 54 public interest groups <a href="http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/energy-resources/Alberta+pipeline+safety+Coalition+groups/8843532/story.html" rel="noopener">dissatisfied</a> with the provincial government's third-party report released in August.<p>	"We will be auditing the government's monitoring systems to ensure compliance with Alberta's pipeline regulations. Our audit would include inspection and enforcement processes," Saher wrote in a letter to Alberta's Opposition parties Wildrose and the NDP, which were among the groups demanding the review.</p><p>The government-commissioned pipeline safety review, conducted by Group 10 Engineering, was announced by Energy Minister Ken Hughes in July 2012 after several major pipeline oil spills in the province, including a 475,000 litre leak from a Plains Midstream Canada pipeline in Central Alberta in June. The <a href="http://www.energy.alberta.ca/Org/pdfs/PSRfinalReportNoApp.pdf" rel="noopener">final report</a> was made public a year later, in August 2013.
	<!--break--></p>
	James Wood writes for the <em><a href="http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/politics/Auditor+general+investigate+pipeline+safety+Alberta/8904153/story.html" rel="noopener">Calgary Herald</a></em>, that the Group 10 report "did not &ndash; as many expected &ndash; review the actual physical condition of the 400,000 km pipeline system or investigate a spate of recent spills" despite declaring Alberta to have "the most thorough overall regulatory regime of all the assessed Canadian jurisdictions."
<p>	Following the release of the report last month, a coalition representing 54 environmental, First Nations, labour and landowner groups wrote to Premier Alison Redford requesting another review. The letter stated that "Albertans deserve to know the real scope of the province's pipeline problems and they deserve real solutions," leaving the group "no choice but to begin to petition the Alberta auditor general to take on such an examination." &nbsp;</p>
	&nbsp;
<p>Eriel Deranger, Communications Coordinator for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation said &ldquo;Oil spills pose a major threat to our community, which depends on clean air, water and soil to sustain our way of life. We are pleased that the Auditor General will be looking into pipeline safety, as we feel the provincial government hasn&rsquo;t been doing enough to prevent spills from happening.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a long road pushing for this review but hopefully the Auditor General will finally give Albertan&rsquo;s some answers to Alberta&rsquo;s pipeline woes because the Redford government definitely hasn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; said Mike Hudema, Greenpeace Canada&rsquo;s climate and energy campaigner. &ldquo;Groups from across the political spectrum joined together to push for this review because of the growing threats pipeline spills are posing to Alberta&rsquo;s communities and environment. I hope this review will give the government time to pause on its pipeline-pushing ways because all is not well in Alberta.&rdquo;</p>
<p>	Jennifer Grant, director of the oilsands program at the <a href="http://www.pembina.org/" rel="noopener">Pembina Institute</a>, applauded Saher for "showing leadership on this important issue," saying that the "audit presents an opportunity to restore Albertans' confidence in the provincial regulator's ability to manage pipelines and the associated risks."</p>
<p>	"With 400,000 square kilometres of pipelines crisscrossing the province, and an average of two crude oil spills a day for the past 37 years, ensuring the integrity and safety of Alberta's pipeline network is absolutely critical and could set an important precedent for other jurisdictions," Grant said in a news release.</p>
<p>	<a href="http://globalnews.ca/news/836411/alberta-auditor-general-to-audit-pipeline-safety/" rel="noopener"><em>Global News</em></a> reports that the auditor general "has been considering a pipeline safety audit for much of the past year" according to spokeswoman Kim Nishikaze. Nishikaze added that they "will be looking at pipeline safety in the foreseeable future" but "can't say when."</p>
<p>	Saher wrote in his letter that the pipeline safety audit would be undertaken "as soon as reasonably possible."</p><p><em>Image Credit: Jasonwoodhead23 / <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodhead/6792697540/" rel="noopener">Flickr</a></em></p></p>
<p><em><strong>The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/newsletter/?utm_source=rss">signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism</a>.</strong></em></p>]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Indra Das]]></dc:creator>
						<category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[ACFN]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Alberta]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Alison Redford]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[audit]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[auditor general]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Calgary Herald]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Canada]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Eriel Deranger]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Global News]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Government]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[greenpeace]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Group 10 Engineering]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[James Wood]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Jennifer Grant]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Ken Hughes]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Kim Nishikaze]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Merwan Saher]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Mike Hudema]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[oil]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[oil spills]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[pembina institute]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[pipeline]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[pipeline safety]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[pipelines]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Plains Midstream Canada]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[safety review]]></category>    </item>
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      <title>500 Activists Stand Strong Against &#8220;Tar Sands Destruction&#8221; at Global Power Shift Summit in Istanbul</title>
      <link>https://thenarwhal.ca/600-activists-133-nations-stand-strong-against-tar-sands-destruction-global-power-shift-summit-istanbul/?utm_source=rss</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost.com/narwhal/2013/07/02/600-activists-133-nations-stand-strong-against-tar-sands-destruction-global-power-shift-summit-istanbul/</guid>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 2013 16:51:14 +0000</pubDate>			
			<description><![CDATA[Last week, 500 activists from 133 nations gathered in Istanbul to send a message for Canada to &#34;Stop Tar Sands Destruction,&#34; as part of the Global Power Shift summit to mobilize against climate change. Among the participants is Canadian activist Brigette DePape, who rose to prominence after being fired from her position as a Senate...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="640" height="423" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MG_5406-1-1.jpg" class="attachment-banner size-banner wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MG_5406-1-1.jpg 640w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MG_5406-1-1-300x198.jpg 300w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MG_5406-1-1-450x297.jpg 450w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MG_5406-1-1-20x13.jpg 20w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption><small><em></em></small></figcaption><hr></figure><p>Last week, 500 activists from 133 nations gathered in Istanbul to send a message for Canada to "Stop Tar Sands Destruction," as part of the <a href="http://globalpowershift.org/" rel="noopener">Global Power Shift summit</a> to mobilize against climate change.<p>	Among the participants is Canadian activist <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brigette-Depape/114258801995644" rel="noopener">Brigette DePape</a>, who rose to prominence after being fired from her position as a Senate Page for holding a sign saying "Stop Harper!" in Senate. DePape said that she was amazed "to see a global movement rising to fight dirty energy around the planet, and to see that focused on the tar sands is incredible."</p><p><!--break--></p><p>DePape added that they would be "bringing this message from the world back home and right to heart of the destruction next week." She emphasized that the message was already being spread at home as well, "with civil disobedience actions around <a href="http://environmentaldefence.ca/issues/tar-sands/line-9" rel="noopener">Line 9</a> this week, and events like the Healing Walk to bring people together and start turning the tide away from dirty energy."</p><p>	Nine of the activists chosen to participate in Global Power Shift are from Canada. The group includes First Nations organizers, young workers, climate and community activists, and artists. All will be involved in expanding the youth climate movement in Canada after the global summit.</p><p>	"We are seeing an international climate movement committed to standing with those on the front line of tar sands extraction and those who are facing the brunt of the impacts of climate change sweeping the globe" said Suzanne Dhaliwal of the <a href="http://www.no-tar-sands.org/" rel="noopener">UK Tar Sands Network</a>. &nbsp;</p><p>	The summit's global statement against tar sands development comes before the 4th Annual <a href="http://www.healingwalk.org/" rel="noopener">Healing Walk</a>, taking place from July 5-6 in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The Healing Walk is intended to be a productive event, encouraging local community members to participate in finding solutions to the social, economic and environmental repercussions of tar sands development.</p><p>	"We welcome everyone to the Healing Walk, and we really hope that those responsible for the destruction of the Tar Sands will come to see the destructive impacts first-hand," said Eriel Deranger, organizer of the Healing Walk, and a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.</p><p>	Planned by global grassroots organization <a href="http://350.org/" rel="noopener">350.org</a>, the Global Power Shift summit has taken two years of preparation to reach fruition. The event is proceeding despite, and in solidarity with, the current protests sparked by the Turkish government's plan to replace one of Istanbul's last green spaces, Taksim Gezi Park, with a shopping mall.</p><p>	Joshua Kahn Russell, who helped create the summit's curriculum, writes for <a href="http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/joshua-kahn-russell/2013/06/real-time-resistance-global-power-shift-kicks-istanbul" rel="noopener"><em>rabble.ca</em></a>, that when "[we] envisioned convening this broad movement convergence two years ago, we never could have imagined that we would be holding this event in the midst of a popular uprising."</p><p>	Russell adds that the coincidence feels "appropriate," as Global Power Shift is meant to trigger a "new phase of an international climate movement" that "disrupts the status quo and captures the public imagination&hellip;like the Taksim Square activists have done."</p><p>	According to the Global Power Shift website, the "week-long summit will be a chance for us to refine skills, create personal bonds and community, share a global vision for change, and strategize how to organize different actions and similar summits back home."</p></p>
<p><em><strong>The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/newsletter/?utm_source=rss">signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism</a>.</strong></em></p>]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Indra Das]]></dc:creator>
						<category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[350.org]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[activists]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Bridgette DePape]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Canada]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[climate change]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[dirty energy]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Eriel Deranger]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[first nations]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Gezi]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Global Power Shift]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Healing Walk]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Istanbul]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Joshua Kahn Russell]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[oilsands]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Stephen Harper]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Suzanne Dhaliwal]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Taksim Square]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[tar sands]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[UK Tar Sands Network]]></category>    </item>
	    <item>
      <title>VIDEO: Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Says Tar Sands Have Gone Far Enough</title>
      <link>https://thenarwhal.ca/video-athabasca-chipewyan-first-nation-says-tar-sands-gone-far-enough/?utm_source=rss</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost.com/narwhal/2013/05/25/video-athabasca-chipewyan-first-nation-says-tar-sands-gone-far-enough/</guid>
			<pubDate>Sat, 25 May 2013 19:38:39 +0000</pubDate>			
			<description><![CDATA[Following a trip to the Netherlands to speak at the Royal Dutch Shell Annual General Meeting, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) has released a short documentary film detailing the struggle against tar sands development. Narrated by Indigenous rights activist and ACFN communications coordinator Eriel Deranger, the film gives a brief history of the nation&#8217;s...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="640" height="480" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Fort-Chip.jpg" class="attachment-banner size-banner wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Fort-Chip.jpg 640w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Fort-Chip-627x470.jpg 627w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Fort-Chip-450x338.jpg 450w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Fort-Chip-20x15.jpg 20w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption><small><em></em></small></figcaption><hr></figure><p>Following a trip to the Netherlands to speak at the <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/2013/05/21/athabasca-chipewyan-first-nation-among-groups-challenge-royal-dutch-shell-agm">Royal Dutch Shell</a> Annual General Meeting, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) has released a short documentary film detailing the <a href="http://www.stopshellnow.com/" rel="noopener">struggle against tar sands development</a>.<p>	Narrated by Indigenous rights activist and ACFN communications coordinator Eriel Deranger, the film gives a brief history of the nation&rsquo;s conflict with Shell Oil, including broken impact-benefit agreements dating back ten years, and residents of Fort Chipewyan explain in their own words why they fight for their land.</p><p><!--break--></p><p></p><p>Yet another test of Treaty 8 and section 35 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms will come at the end of this month. Shell&rsquo;s proposal to expand the Jackpine Mine in northern Alberta is currently under review with the Alberta regulatory body, the Energy Resources Conservation Board, with a decision expected by next Friday, May 31.</p><p>Since the <a href="http://acfnchallenge.wordpress.com/" rel="noopener">ACFN</a> filed its <a href="http://www.desmogblog.com/2012/10/01/first-nation-challenge-shell-canada-s-jackpine-mine-expansion-citing-constitutional-treaty-rights" rel="noopener">constitutional challenge</a> against Shell in 2012, the company has also proposed a new open pit mine project, the <a href="http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/050/document-eng.cfm?document=54082" rel="noopener">Pierre River Mine</a>, that will likely go under review before the end of this year.</p><p>Deranger says the time has come to draw a line in the sand. &ldquo;If we don&rsquo;t put our foot down somewhere, it will never stop.&rdquo;</p><p><em>Image Credit: Creative Commons via mark(s)elliott</em></p></p>
<p><em><strong>The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/newsletter/?utm_source=rss">signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism</a>.</strong></em></p>]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Erin Flegg]]></dc:creator>
						<category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Energy Resources Conservation Board]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Eriel Deranger]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Indigenous]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Jackpine Mine]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Royal Dutch Shell]]></category>    </item>
	    <item>
      <title>Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Among Groups to Challenge Royal Dutch Shell at AGM</title>
      <link>https://thenarwhal.ca/athabasca-chipewyan-first-nation-among-groups-challenge-royal-dutch-shell-agm/?utm_source=rss</link>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost.com/narwhal/2013/05/22/athabasca-chipewyan-first-nation-among-groups-challenge-royal-dutch-shell-agm/</guid>
			<pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2013 16:24:40 +0000</pubDate>			
			<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, members of First Nations and environmental organizations from both Canada and the United States attended Royal Dutch Shell&#8217;s Annual General Meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, to speak out against the company&#8217;s high-risk energy projects. Eriel Deranger, communications coordinator for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), attended the meeting on behalf of the nation and...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="630" height="315" src="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/offshore-oil-rig.jpg" class="attachment-banner size-banner wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/offshore-oil-rig.jpg 630w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/offshore-oil-rig-300x150.jpg 300w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/offshore-oil-rig-450x225.jpg 450w, https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/offshore-oil-rig-20x10.jpg 20w" sizes="(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" /><figcaption><small><em></em></small></figcaption><hr></figure><p>Yesterday, members of First Nations and environmental organizations from both Canada and the United States attended <a href="http://www.newswire.ca/fr/story/1168829/extreme-energy-development-is-a-risk-for-investment-and-the-planet-indigenous-delegates-tell-royal-dutch-shell-shareholders-in-the-hague-netherlands" rel="noopener">Royal Dutch Shell</a>&rsquo;s Annual General Meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, to speak out against the company&rsquo;s high-risk energy projects.<p>Eriel Deranger, communications coordinator for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), attended the meeting on behalf of the nation and spoke directly to Shell&rsquo;s board of directors, focusing on the duty consult on the <a href="http://www.desmogblog.com/2012/10/01/first-nation-challenge-shell-canada-s-jackpine-mine-expansion-citing-constitutional-treaty-rights" rel="noopener">Jackpine Mine expansion</a> project.</p><p>Deranger addressed the chair of the board to ask why a company that purports to put so much emphasis on stakeholder relationships has failed to address the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation&rsquo;s concerns regarding tar sands development. The chair responded that the company felt the hearings for the Jackpine project were successful, but that it would open discussion on the issue with the president of Shell Canada, Lorraine Mitchelmore.</p><p><!--break--></p><p>Other organizations, including Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands (REDOIL), UK Tar Sands Network and members of the Inupiat community of Alaska attended to question Shell on plans such as offshore drilling in the Arctic.</p><p>	Deranger said she's pleased with the response from the chair of the board, but will continue to demand accountability. &ldquo;We have a longstanding relationship with Shell that ties to business ventures and programs and projects Shell has run over the last ten years,&rdquo; she said, adding that concern over the impact of tar sands has been growing over the last decade, causing the relationship to deteriorate.</p><p>	She said the ACFN believes the only way the relationship can continue in a positive way is for Shell to make the nation a partner in all future development. She added that the nation&rsquo;s demand to work with Shell has nothing to do with encouraging development or with revenues. &ldquo;We want to be partners in the development so we can create a baseline for environment protection and protection of our treaty rights.&rdquo;</p><p>ACFN has been pushing for Shell to agree to work with their traditional knowledge holders to do a full analysis of the impact of what the nation has termed extreme energy projects, but the company has refused. Shell has argued that there was no need to collect that kind of information because the data already exists. Deranger said that&rsquo;s not good enough. &ldquo;The data that&rsquo;s been created has been inefficient and was not created by us.&rdquo;</p><p>	While she doesn&rsquo;t have much faith in Shell&rsquo;s promises, she&rsquo;s heartened by the change in tone she saw between last year&rsquo;s meeting and today&rsquo;s.</p><p>	&ldquo;Last year they just really tried to brush me off, and this year they seem legitimately sympathetic.&rdquo; Last year, Deranger asked similar questions about projects and the company&rsquo;s failure to adequately consult First Nations. The board told her that her nation was an anomaly and that they should take up their issues with their government.</p><p>Deranger said the next step is to give Shell a chance to follow through on its promise to connect the ACFN with Shell's Canadian president.</p><p>	&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a little bit of a wait-and-see, will they live up to their word,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have a ton of faith they will but if they don&rsquo;t, they&rsquo;ve just given us a bit of an upper hand by basically lying to us in front of their shareholders.&rdquo; The AFCN have shown on more than one occasion that they aren&rsquo;t afraid to take action if Shell doesn&rsquo;t hold up its end of a deal.</p><p>	&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve made promises in the past to our community that haven&rsquo;t lived up to that resulted in us suing them.&rdquo;</p><p>Any shareholder is permitted to attend the AGM and ask questions. Shareholders can also act as proxies to allow other groups to come. Friends of the Earth Netherlands acted as a proxy for the ACFN.</p><p>Deranger said it&rsquo;s common in Europe to see activist organizations buying shares in companies who goals are otherwise at odds with their own as a means of accessing meetings like this one. Shareholder questions ran the gamut from environmental concerns to issues with remuneration, boom-and-bust scenarios and the fracking industry.</p><p>Deranger said attending the AGMs of corporations has long been a part of the nation&rsquo;s strategy. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always been a part of indigenous delegations at Shell to bring awareness to Shell&rsquo;s bad reputation within indigenous communities,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just one of many different indigenous communities globally that have been facing issues and damages from Shell&rsquo;s projects.&rdquo;</p><p><em>Image credit: Creative Commons L.C. Nottaasen, 2009</em></p></p>
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      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Erin Flegg]]></dc:creator>
						<category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Eriel Deranger]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Friends of the Earth]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Friends of the Earth Netherlands]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Indigenous]]></category><category domain="post_tag"><![CDATA[Royal Dutch Shell]]></category>    </item>
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